In Brazil, vacant classroom spots offered at reduced cost to poorer students

In Brazil, vacant classroom spots offered at reduced cost to poorer students

Nonprofit & Social Cause

The Mais Estudo scheme is hoping to get more young people into university by offering discounts on vacant classroom spots.

Learning can be expensive, and we’ve already seen startups such as Raygun try to help college students in US save money. But what about those who can’t even afford a basic education? Brazil’s Mais Estudo is hoping to get more young people into university by offering vacant classroom spots at reduced prices.
While some courses and universities may be oversubscribed when it comes to taking on new students, others have gaps that don’t generate any income for the institutions. Rather than leave those spaces empty, Mais Estudo partners with those offering graduate, postgraduate and technical courses and agrees a discount – which can be up to 70 percent – that is applied to those who enrol through the platform. Unlike a student loan – an option many poorer students end up taking – there are no fees to pay back upon completion of the course. The following video explains – in Portuguese – more about the project:
Institutions gain revenue they otherwise wouldn’t have, low-income students benefit by being able to receive the education they need without the costs typically involved, while Mais Estudo takes a 50 percent cut with universities. How else can higher education be made more affordable?
Spotted by: Dagoberto Salles